#142 The #1 Thing You Must Do to Advance Your Leadership Career in Q4, 2024

Lucy Gernon (00:02.456)
What if there was a profound shift you could make right now that would advance your professional career more than ever before in quarter four? I know you have your sights set high for the end of the year. You want to get promoted or you want new opportunities. You want to be recognized for your talents and to really feel fully confident in what you bring to the table. Imagine what it would be like if you could end the year feeling accomplished and actually at the next level, ready to

for 2025. However, you might be unsure of the exact structure and the process for getting there. So in this week’s episode of the show, I’m going to be sharing with you the number one thing that you must do that is non -negotiable to really advance your leadership career in quarter four. Are you ready? Let’s dive

Lucy Gernon (00:57.646)
Hi there and welcome back to another episode of the 360 Leadership Podcast. I am your host, Lucy Gurnan, a multi -award winning executive coach and a mommy of three from Ireland. So happy to be here with you today talking all about leadership career advancement. And the reason I wanted to talk about this this week is because like we are literally on the cusp of 2025. Can you believe it? Like, can you believe it’s been almost five years since the pandemic?

Like how fast has time gone? It is crazy. It’s so crazy because in 2020, that’s when I decided to quit the corporate world and I started my coach training and started my business. And it’s just crazy. It’s just been a whirlwind. But I want you to know that, like, I cannot even tell you how different my life is right now in my career to what it was five years ago. And it’s because actually I’m going to be sharing the number one thing that I did and that my clients do.

to advance my career and their careers. And you can do this too. So the reason what we’re gonna cover today, first of all, is we’re gonna cover exactly what’s stopping you from advancing your career. And I know this because I worked with enough women to know what’s most likely these things. The number one thing that you must do to advance your career in 2024, and some practical tips to empower you to take charge and go for what you want.

The reason I wanted to cover this today, like I said, is because we are coming up to the end of the year. And I know in the business world at this time, you are finalizing budgets. Puk, I used to hate that time. I still have to do it myself. Don’t enjoy it. That’s why I have accounts teams, but still I have to be involved as managing director, of course, like you. So I feel your pain. You are looking at your Q4 targets. Hopefully you’re ahead.

A lot of the girls that I work with in 360, they’re absolutely blown their targets out of the water. Their teams are performing like absolute superstars. And I hope that’s the same for you. And if it’s not, please don’t worry. Like you’re only one human. You can only do so much. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished. OK, be proud of what you’ve accomplished. But one of our 360 leaders club members who joined recently said.

Lucy Gernon (03:18.566)
One of the reasons she joined is because she wanted to get to the next level in her organization. So she wanted to kind of get she’s at a VP level now and she wants to progress to the next level. And she said that she was really tired of being timid and playing small. She said that she is she sees the men being promoted and she knows what she she has what it takes to do the job. And that really resonated deeply with me because

It captures a truth I see time and time again. That success rarely knocks on our doors. We have to go out and find it and do the work and confidently show our worth and be able to articulate our value and build a personal leadership brand that is so attractive that the opportunities are just going to come to you.

as opposed to you feeling like you’re in this, my God, if I just keep working, they’re going to notice me energy. That is not the way to success. So instead of waiting for someone else to recognize your potential and you sitting in the sidelines watching all the men seemingly get promoted with ease while being able to log off and go play golf with the boys, you need to start advocating for yourself. You need to start realizing that

you’re growing a business for somebody else. OK. And yes, that’s your role. And yes, that’s a huge part of why you’re what you you you do what you do. But it’s it’s not just OK. It’s absolutely necessary for you to also give some of your energy to what you want. Right. Because when we take ownership of our ambitions and our actions, incredible things can happen.

I cannot tell you how much my life has changed since I have crushed imposter syndrome, built my business acumen, upleveled myself, invested heavily in my personal and professional development. I’ve never been happier. I’ve never felt more successful. Never mind what it is on paper. I feel good. I feel like I have accomplished good things. I feel like I’m making a difference. I feel like I’m using my skills and adding value

Lucy Gernon (05:39.072)
a much bigger purpose than just me. And I never would have felt that way before because I didn’t think I was good enough. So I want you to know that like there is one thing, OK, that you may not want to hear. And the one thing that is stopping you from advancing your leadership career is you’re making excuses. Ouch. You’re making

I hear all the time things like, I’m not sure if I’m ready. I’m not sure if I have the time. I’ve never invested in myself before. And

Lucy Gernon (06:28.672)
Or they like, I hear as well, like the organization, there’s something happening. Like I said, I shared another episode, one of my clients, you know, they were going through a merger, but she still found a way to make it happen. You know, it’s just I hear so many and I’m going to say excuses. And I don’t even like that word because it’s kind of triggering. I have someone said to me, you’re making excuses. I’d be like, no, I’m not. This is the reality, right? It’s not really excuses. It’s more limiting beliefs.

So the number one thing that you really must do to advance your career in quarter four this year is to just stop with the limiting beliefs and is to work on your mindset and realize that you only have one life. You only have one shot at this life. I’ve shared before about the tragedy of my father -in -law. He was 66 year old man. He was a painter.

He had his own business. He was vivacious, six foot three, six foot four, bald, cheeky grin, twinkly eyes, and was fit and healthy. And then in July 2020, he got diagnosed with a brain tumor. And on the 5th of September, he passed away from sepsis. And it just made me realize that I was playing small,

We are just here, guys. And if you’re multitasking, this is so important for you to really grasp. We are only a passing fleet of souls on this earth right now. There has been tons and tons, generations and generations of people thousands of years before us. They’ve walked the same earth. They have lived their lives. They’ve come in like I’m very spiritual and I really believe that we are all just souls living in

human body, here to have a human experience. I know this to my core and you’re here to have a human experience and you’re here to do great things and you have desires to advance and to make an impact in your leadership journey. You have aspirations, you have gifts and talents. Nobody can do what you do the way you do it and the only thing that’s getting in your way

Lucy Gernon (08:54.4)
is the limiting beliefs that you hold about yourself. So let’s break down a couple of those little limiting beliefs and some of the things that I see.

The first one is I’m not good enough. I’m not really sure if I’m ready. I don’t take all the boxes or it might be I’m working on this project or now is not the right time because I’m under resourced. Guys, if you’re saying that to yourself, I need you to I need you to hear me on this from the bottom of my heart. You are you’re like every female leader on the planet. Everybody’s under resourced.

Everybody is working on some mega important priority. Everybody. OK, so you need to remember that the women who advance and the women who are successful and the men that you look at, the reason that they get there is because they know what’s important to them and they they prioritize their energy in the right places. So it’s not that you’re not ready. It’s that you can’t see yet. It’s like you’re in this bubble of how you’ve always worked.

And I, my invitation for you is to stop making that excuse and just take action. OK, take action. The other thing I hear as well, which is linked to that a lot is I’m not sure I have the time. So before people start working with me, that often comes up and rightly so. Something like it’s not the right time or I’m not sure if I’ll have the time or I’ve just acquired another region and now I’m looking after Asia.

and I have no additional compensation. And they tell me this before they work with me and I’m like, no, no, no, Like, no, but anyway, it’s another story. You’ve got to make the time if your career is important to you. Now, if you are happy to focus your energy on growing your organization’s bottom line in a role that you’re not really happy in, that’s like, if that’s your priority, that’s absolutely perfect because you only, you know, what’s best for you.

Lucy Gernon (11:00.834)
But I’m not talking to those people. I’m talking to the woman I know is listening to me today who’s tired of playing small, who’s tired of watching the boys get ahead, who knows she has so much more to give, who wants to be recognized for her talents, who wants to step in and step up to her next level of leadership. That’s who I’m speaking to in this episode today. OK, you’ve got to make the time, my gorgeous girl. OK, you’ve got to make the time. And when you work with me.

I promise you I can help you. I have strategies that will support you to get more time back if you’re committed to showing up to the sessions and doing the work, because if you don’t come, I can’t help you. Another thing I hear a lot would be I’ve never invested in myself before. Now, to me, that’s not an excuse. That’s a very real fear. Like that’s a very real fear, because I remember I’ve told you guys this before.

The very first time I invested with a coach, it was $8 ,000. Now, I would have shopped on the sale rails, guys. I didn’t invest in myself. I’m from Ireland, you know, didn’t come from, you know, we were in the 80s. We didn’t have a lot of money. Didn’t come from money. Money was always very, very scarce, kind of growing up. So I brought all of that money mindset with me into my adult life. And the thing that

The thing is, when it comes to money, like we all have a relationship with money. I’ve had clients who have hired me and literally told me that I should increase my prices because they were getting so much value. And then I’ve had other people who they when they come to work with me and they’re like, oh my God, it’s five grand. They think that’s like crazy money. I’ve got other people who have paid me like 20 grand to work with me. So I’m sorry. And as well, just so you know, one of my coaches, her rate is 10 K per month.

to work with her per month. She pays one of her coaches, Brendan Burchard, I believe a quarter of a million a year to be her coach. So I want you to know that like money is a very real thing. But if you’re listening to my podcast, most of the ladies who listen to my podcast are on a six figure salary, multiple six figure salary, some of you. And some of you have access to organizational training funds as well. like if you want it bad enough,

Lucy Gernon (13:22.19)
you’ve got to get over your money mindset blocks and invest in yourself. OK, it’s not selfish because let’s just say you want to get a promotion. And this happened over and over again with the ladies in 360 leaders club and my private clients who get promoted. Most of them will get a 10 % increase. So let’s say if you’re let’s just say you’re on 100 grand, let’s just call it an even six figure or something because it’s easy to do maths and you get a 10 % promotion. Well, that’s an extra 10 K.

Plus I would absolutely be advocating to get you coaching and stuff included in your package. That means you will make a 200 % return on your investment. Okay. So to me, I would invest if I do invest all of the time, but it’s kind of the first time you ever do it. feels a bit weird because as women, we just don’t really invest enough in ourselves, both financially and both in our energy and in our self care.

But when you come into my world, promise you, if you’re ready to take action and prioritize yourself, I will help you with all of that. OK. So they would be kind of the things I would say to you, like, you know, in summary, the number one thing that you must do to advance your career this year is honestly to stop making excuses and just invest in yourself. Like, why wouldn’t you invest in yourself? Why wouldn’t you work with somebody like me who has the proven roadmap?

the blueprint, the strategies, the tools, the experience, the knowledge, the network to be able to support you to achieve your goals. Like it’s a no brainer to me that like coaches are there for a reason. OK. And at this very moment, we are, if you’re listening to this live, we are enrolling our final cohort for 2024 in 360 leaders club. So you guys have heard me talk about it many, many times.

It is my group coaching membership for women and leadership roles. And the whole idea of the club is that you come in. There are multiple different sessions you can attend. We record stuff in case you can’t come live. I have calls in the evening in case you can’t make it at lunchtime. We have a private podcast. I have everything I’ve tried to design in such a way that even if you only attend one or two sessions a month, you’re still going to get the results. And in fact, I’ve even had people

Lucy Gernon (15:46.016)
who’ve literally attended one session, one session, got what they needed, went in to an interview and got the job. OK, I’ve had another lady recently who used my CV template and the VP who interviewed her actually said he had never seen this one thing on the CV before. And that was the reason he interviewed her. And even her boss said that this VP doesn’t normally interview everybody. And she was actually surprised that she got an interview, which is a whole other conversation.

But I just want you to know that I have the tools, have the strategies and not just me, you get access to the most unbelievable community of like minded women so that you can expand your network, grow together, learn together, see how other women who have what you want are doing it, get their advice and they promise you, you will absolutely surge forward. So if you’re interested in joining 360Liters Club, it is an application only process.

We only take on a limited number of people in every intake. This is your final chance for 2024. If you’re on the fence, just send me a DM on LinkedIn or Instagram. We can set up a call and have a chat. But if you’re ready and if you’re feeling called and if you’re like, okay, this is exactly what I needed to hear today, just submit your application. Go to 360LeadersClub .com forward slash apply.

We’ll review your application and I’ll be back in touch with you to make sure it’s a good mutual fit because having the right fit is super important for you. But it’s also really, really important for the community vibe as well. So I’d be so honored, like because all of my most of the ladies, I would say a good 95 percent of them who’ve ever worked with me have come through my podcast. So that’s why I know that you’re special. If you’re listening to this, we are meant to work together at some stage. So hopefully now is your time.

Now, if you enjoyed this episode of the show, I would really appreciate if you would send it on to one of your colleagues. If you know that that career advancement is something that they’re feeling a little bit stuck on or if they want to expand their network so that they are able to be, I suppose, top of mind for new opportunities and have that support, 360Litres Club might just be a fabulous space for them too. So if you enjoyed this episode of the show.

Lucy Gernon (18:08.142)
I would recommend that you check out episode 122, which is with one of my clients, Lisa. And it’s called How coaching can accelerate your career and life with Lisa Miller. You’re going to hear about her story and what happened when she stopped making excuses and went all in on her birthday. So you can check that out episode 122. And like I said, if you’ve any questions, you can send me a DM and stuff on Instagram.

And I look forward to hopefully seeing an application or two come through from you very, very soon. So that’s it. Until next time, same time, same place. Have a great week and I’ll see you next Wednesday. Bye for now.